Page 41 of Hollis (The Moore Men #2)

Twenty-Six

Ford

I t’s too quiet.

Even with the steady beep of the monitor and the low hum of fluorescent lights overhead, it’s too damn quiet. I can’t take it. My knee won’t stop bouncing, and I don’t think I’ve taken a proper breath since we arrived on scene.

Remi sits on one side of the bed while I’m on the other.

Neither of us has spoken a single word. We’re still in our gear, wet from the rain, even though it’s been hours.

Finn was here, but he left about a half hour ago to drop Ash and Tucker off at home so the latter can go to bed, August and Tripp are down in the cafeteria grabbing something to eat, and Gentry is on his way.

He’s been in Austin since yesterday morning, helping Finn and Hollis’s mom move all her horses into her new farm. His plane should be landing any minute.

Exhaustion clouds my mind, but I don’t care.

All I care about is the way his chest rises and falls beneath the blanket.

Slow. Steady. I’ve never been so grateful for something so simple.

So ordinary. The surgeon said it went well; a clean break, reset without complications, but my heart hasn’t let go of the fear yet.

It can’t. Not until I hear his voice, not until his eyes open and he gives me that crooked, sleepy smile like nothing’s wrong, like he doesn’t even realize the storm he just put us through.

I need to hear his voice, need to hear his deep laugh. Feel his hand holding mine.

I need to see him alive and well.

Hollis is lucky; it could’ve been a hell of a lot worse than it was.

One broken arm, a sprained ankle, and a concussion.

He could’ve lost his life. All the what ifs that rushed through my head when we got the call, then seeing him lying unconscious on the pavement…

It reminded me how fragile life can be. How easily it can be ripped away from you.

I reach out and carefully take his hand, avoiding the IV and bandages.

His skin is warm; it helps anchor me. I know that soon he’ll stir.

He’ll groan and blink at the ceiling, maybe even mutter something groggy and ridiculous.

And maybe then my heart will unclench. Maybe then I can take a deep breath and relax my shoulders.

Not taking my eyes off Hollis, I say with a cracked voice, “I love him.”

The weight of Remi’s gaze on the side of my head is heavy. “Yeah, you do.”

Glancing over at him, I notice how red his eyes still are, the bags under them. He looks about as tired as I feel.

“The way you reacted when we got that call told me everything I needed to know,” he explains. “You’re in love with him, and I’m guessin’ you didn’t even realize it until you thought you might lose him.” Lifting a brow, he says, “Am I right?”

A breathy laugh blows past my lips as I nod. “I think I knew before now. I just didn’t want to admit it.”

“Aww, you love me, Cap?”

Remi and I turn our heads toward Hollis at the croaked sound of his voice, my heart skipping a beat as I sit up straighter. “How are you feelin’?”

His lip curls into a smirk that makes my stomach roll in the best way. “Pretty damn good,” he drawls.

“Do you remember what happened?” Remi asks.

Brow furrowed, and his jaw tight, Hollis pauses for a moment before shaking his head. “Not really. I remember the storm hittin’, and gettin’ soaked, but everything after is pretty blurry.”

“You were in an accident,” I say, emotion making it hard to talk. “We think you lost control of the bike when you rounded the corner, probably due to the slick roads and the standing water.”

Hollis squeezes my hand when my voice cracks, and then looks over at Remi before coming back to me, gaze dipping down to my gear. “You responded to the call.”

I nod, swallowing thickly and trying to blink back tears. It doesn’t work.

The door bursts open, and Gentry storms inside. His gaze is wild and frantic, but he physically relaxes some when he sees his son awake on the bed. “I got here as soon as I could,” he mutters just as the door opens again.

Glancing over his shoulder, I spot two women entering the room. One of them, I’ve never seen before, and the other I recognize from pictures. Blonde, significantly shorter than Gentry, and she has her son’s dark eyes. Or rather, Hollis has hers.

“Mom, what are ya doin’ here?” he asks, wincing as he attempts to sit up in bed.

“Honey, you were in a motorcycle accident,” she says, rushing over to him. I stand from my chair and scoot back to give her space. “Why on earth wouldn’t I be here? ”

“But I’m fine.”

“I told you them fuckin’ bikes were a bad idea,” Gentry growls, and I don’t miss the way he directs the statement to both Hollis and Remi.

His mom scoffs and swats at her ex-husband. “Now is not the time for a lecture, Gentry.”

Hollis flits his gaze over to me before taking in his parents. The smile he’s wearing makes my pulse race. “Y’all just missed it,” he says. “I was just learnin’ that Captain Wesley, here, is in love with me.”

“What?” Gentry hisses, his dark, narrowed eyes slicing over to me. “What is he talkin’ about?”

Jesus Christ. Really, Hollis?

My face heats as words fail to come to me. This isn’t exactly how I pictured this moment going, but nothing ever seems to go as planned when it comes to Hollis, so I really shouldn’t be surprised.

His mom turns around, a smile spreading across her face as she takes me in. “Sorry, who are you?”

“Mom, this is Ford,” Hollis chimes in again.

I chuckle as I offer her my hand. “I’m Ford Wesley, ma’am. Captain of the Wolf Creek Fire Department. I work with Remi.”

“Oh, it’s very nice to meet you,” she says sweetly. “I’m June, his mother, and this”—she gestures toward the other woman in the room—“is Kelly Ann.” There’s a pregnant pause before she adds, “My friend.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.” I tip my head. “It’s unfortunate that it’s under these circumstances.”

“Yes.” She smiles. “But I’d love to get back to the part about you bein’ in love with my son.”

“I would too,” Gentry grunts .

Then, as if he can’t help himself, Hollis says, “Me three.”

Remi chuckles, only laughing harder when I direct a scowl his way. Holding his hands up, he says, “Hey, don’t look at me. This is your business, not mine.”

Hollis is wearing a shit-eating grin, and him putting me on the spot like this should irritate me, but be it that I’m just happy he’s alive and okay or that I’m glad to get this out in the open, and have him know how I feel, I don’t mind.

Even if it feels like we’re missing at least half a dozen steps before ending up here.

Clearing my throat, I look at June, then at Gentry, holding his gaze. “Hollis and I have been seeing each other, quietly, for some time now.”

“According to Chandler, there ain’t nothin’ quiet about them,” Remi blurts out, causing Hollis to giggle.

June clicks her tongue to her teeth, her hand on her hip as she directs her attention to Remi. “We certainly could’ve lived without knowing that, Remington, but thank you.”

That makes Hollis giggle some more. And I mean actually giggling. He must be pretty damn high right now.

“Anyway, as I was saying,” I go on. “We’ve been seein’ each other, and we’ve kept it pretty casual, but it’s not casual anymore. At least, not for me.”

“You hear that, guys?” Hollis’s eyes are squinted from how hard he’s smiling, and he’s cupping his face with his hands. What I would give to take a picture of him. “Fire Daddy is in love with meee !”

“Alright, then.” June claps her hands together, brows clear up to her forehead, while Kelly Ann chuckles behind her.

“Clearly, I could’ve picked a better time and place to say all this,” I murmur, bringing my gaze back to his parents .

“No, I think this is great,” Remi says. “Top-tier entertainment.”

“Knock it off, Remi,” Gentry growls, turning every head in his direction.

The room falls silent before Hollis says, “Oh my, grumpy Gentry.”

Some of the tension dissipates as we laugh—well, everyone except Gentry, but I swear, I see the faintest of smiles tug on the corner of his mouth.

The door opens a moment later, in walking Finn…

and Ash, and Tucker. Finn waves, scanning the faces in the room before walking over and giving his mom a hug.

“Tucker wouldn’t go to bed until he saw you were okay,” he drawls to Hollis. “How ya feelin’, brother?”

“High as a kite.”

He snorts. “Well, that’s good.

“Also, Ford’s in love with me.”

Finn’s gaze drags over to me, a crooked grin spreading on his face. “Is that right?”

I run my fingers through my hair, wondering how many times tonight he’s going to say that, while also wondering if him repeating it to everybody who walks is a good thing.

“He probably won’t remember this entire conversation tomorrow, but yes.”

“Well, would ya look at that.” Slapping me on the arm, Finn says, “’Bout time you two called this for what it was.”

“Who all knew about this?” Gentry asks, his brows furrowed.

“Everybody,” Ash says before gesturing between me and Hollis. “Well, except these two. They’re more oblivious than Finn was when I came around.”

And just like that, the mood lightens, and everybody rests a little easier knowing Hollis is going to be okay.

Relief floods my system. I have no clue what the future holds, or if Hollis even feels the same way about me, but even if he doesn’t, I’m just glad he’s alive and that I got it all off my chest.

Though, it would be a bonus if he was in love with me too.